Protective cover for butt ends of timber piles



PROTECTIVE COVER FOR BUTT ENDS OF TIMBER FILES Filed April 28, 1964 Jan. 3, 1967 J. J. DOUGHERTY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOHN J DOUGHER 7') Fl TTORNEY PROTECTIVE COVER FOR BUTT ENDS OF TIMBER FILES Filed April 28, 1964 Jan. 3, 1967 J. J. DOUGHERTY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN J DOUGHERTY HTTORNEY United States Patent 3,295,332 PROTECTIVE COVER FOR BUTT ENDS 0F TIMBER FILES John I. Daugherty, Cedar Grove, NJ. (262 Rutherford Blvd, Clifton, NJ. 07014) Filed Apr. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 363,240 2 Claims. (Cl. 6153) This invention relates to piling and more particularly to an improvement in a protective cover for a timber pile and to a method of and apparatus for applying a protective cover to a timber pile.

Piles are used to support or to form foundations for structures such as buildings, tanks, bridges, conduits, piers, wharves, etc. by inserting them into or through the yielding surface strata far enough to obtain a solid support for the principal structure.

As is well known, untreated wooden piles are frequently unsatisfactory when exposed to salt or brakish water, or when exposed to changing tides or changing water tables. In free water, such piles are attacked by marine borers, and are subject to rot. In earth, above the lowest level of the water table they are subject to termites, fungi, mold and rot. When treated with creosote and the like, the hazard of fire is very great.

A principal object of the invention is to apply a protective covering over the butt end of a timber pile, the material of which covering has cohesion and strength whereby the life of the pile is prolonged.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus to be used for molding a layer of concrete around the exposed butt end of a timber pile.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for molding a layer of concrete around the exposed butt end of a timber pile wherein the various units can be quickly, accurately and rigidly secured together in the desired relation.

For further comprehension of the invention and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the description thereof to follow taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and to the appended claims wherein the novel features are set forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a cover embodying the invention applied to the projecting butt end of a timber pile, taken on line 1--1 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is atop plan view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view showing a step in the method of making the cover.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional and part elevational view showing another step in the making of the cover, parts being shown broken away.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the trough, part being broken away.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in FIG. 1 a Wooden timber pile 10 is shown that represents a typical situation prevalent in coastal waters of the United States and elsewhere in which the top end or butt end 12 of the pile projects above the ground or water and is subject to termites, rnarine borers, fungi, mold and rot and when treated with creosote or the like is liable to the ravages of fire. In FIG. 1, the butt end 12 is shown projecting above the ground 14. A protective cover made in accordance with the present invention is shown applied over the butt end 12, the cover being indicated generally at 16. The cover 16 comprises broadly a trough-shaped base 18, a skeletonized metal rod frame 20 disposed "ice around the butt end, a metal corrugated shell 22 with its bottom end edge seated in the trough, and concrete 24 en masse in the space between the shell and butt end and above the butt end.

Referring particularly to FIG. 4, in practicing the invention at the site of the job, the frame 20 is formed from inverted U'shaped bodies 26 of rod material and has vertical depending legs 28, with substantially horizontal radial feet 30, terminating in upstanding vertical extensions 32. Any desired number of these inverted U-shaped bodies 26 may be used, the drawing showing three, constituting six depending legs 28 and six feet 30. The bodies are crossed at their bight portions 34, the bight portions being bent at their points of crossing so as to keep the thickness of the bight portions thereat down to a minimum. The bight portions may be welded to each other.

The frame 20 constituted by the inverted U-shaped bodies 26 is slipped over the projecting top or butt end 12 of the pile 10 and thereafter the legs 28 are manually pressed inwardly to conform to the shape of the butt end 12, if such butt end is tapered as shown in the drawing.

The annular trough shaped base or device 1%, opening upwardly, is slipped over the legs 28 of frame 20 downwardly onto the feet 36] and held in place by the upstanding extensions 32 as shown in FIG. 5. The trough shaped device 13 may be formed from an elongated strip of plastic material 36, semi-circular in cross section as shown in FIG. 7, the body of the strip being bent into circular fashion with the ends of the strip in overlapped relation as indicated at 40 in FIG. 6, and held in such relation by the extension 32 of the adjacent foot 30.

The metal corrugated shell 22 is sleeved over the frame 20 spaced therefrom and seated on the bottom of the.

trough shaped device 18, extending slightly above the top of the butt end 12 of the pile. When the shell is in place, the concrete 24 is poured into the space between the butt end, frame and shell and over the top of the butt end into the area defined by the top of the butt end and the shell. In pouring the concrete, the weight of the concrete and the weight of the shell flattens out the bottom of the trough shaped device 18 as seen in FIG. 1.. The space between the shell and the trough device may be filled in with concrete 42.

It will be seen that a protective cover or cap is provided for the butt ends of timber piles and while a timber pile is illustrated projecting through ground, the improved cover may be used on timber piles projecting from water, piers and the like.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made in details of construction without departing from the principle of the invention and I desire therefore to be limited only by the state of the prior art and the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A protective cover for the end of a timber pile projecting out of the water or ground, comprising a substantially inverted U-shaped in cross-section concrete body opening upwardly from the bottom thereof, encompassing the area of the projecting end of the timber pile, inverted U-shaped rods extending about the periphery of the concrete pile for reinforcing the concrete body, laterally extending feet on the bottom ends of the rods, an annular plastic trough device having inner and outer peripheries opening upwardly supported on the feet below the bottom end of the concrete body, said trough device serving to seat the bottom end of the body, the bottom ends of the rods engaging the inner periphery of the trough device, and upstanding extensions on the free ends of the feet engaging the outer periphery for holding the trough device in place.

2. A protective cover for the end of a timber pile? projecting out of the water or ground, comprising a substantially inverted U-shaped in cross-section concrete body opening upwardly from the bottom thereof, encompassing the area of the projecting end of the timber pile, inverted U-shaped rods extending about the periphery of the concrete pile for reinforcing the concrete body, laterally extending feet on the bottom ends of the rods, and annular plastic trough device having inner and outer peripheries opening upwardly supported on the feet below the bottom 10 end of the concrete body, said trough device serving to seat the bottom end of the body, the bottom ends of the rods engaging the inner periphery of the trough device,

upstanding extensions on the free ends of the feet engaging the outer periphery for holding the trough device in place, and a metal shell around the concrete body.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,832,404 11/1931 Marsden 6153 X 2,222,481 11/1940 Ferguson et al 6153 X 3,134,236 5/1964 Baittinger 61-53 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner. JACOB SHAPIRO, Examiner. 

1. A PROTECTIVE COVER FOR THE END OF A TIMBER PILE PROJECTING OUT OF THE WATER OR GROUND, COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY INVERTED U-SHAPED IN CROSS-SECTION CONCRETE BODY OPENING UPWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM THEREOF, ENCOMPASSING THE AREA OF THE PROJECTING END OF THE TIMBER PILE, INVERTED U-SHAPED RODS EXTENDING ABOUT THE PERIPHERY OF THE CONCRETE PILE FOR REINFORCING THE CONCRETE BODY, LATERALLY EXTENDING FEET ON THE BOTTOM ENDS OF THE RODS, AN ANNULAR PLASTIC TROUGH DEVICE HAVING INNER AND OUTER PERIPHERIES OPENING UPWARDLY SUPPORTED ON THE FEET BELOW 